GUILDERLAND — In 2006, John Govel of the Guilderland Police was first on the scene of a raging house fire on Church Road, next door to the home where Govel grew up and where his mother still lived. He and neighbor Michael Hanley together pulled out an elderly couple from the burning structure and were credited by the Westmere fire chief at the time with saving the couple’s lives.

This month, on March 15, the Guilderland Police officers who were first on the scene of  a fire at Govel’s home at 5983 Veeder Road initially thought that their colleague was inside needing rescue.

The house was already completely involved, said Joe Devoe of the Guilderland Police.

“Luckily,” said Devoe, “we found out that he was not, before any of us went in, because of course we didn’t have any gear or anything.”

“The whole thing feels just a little bit different when it’s one of your own,” DeVoe said.

The home was shared by Govel; his son, Jonathan Govel, who works for the Albany County Sheriff’s Department; and other family members.

The Westmere Fire Department will host a breakfast fundraiser on Sunday, April 10,  to benefit the Govel family.

The house suffered severe damage, particularly to the rear of the structure, said Deputy Chief of Guilderland Police Curtis Cox. “It is my understanding,” he said, “that the insurance company deemed it a total loss.”

Devoe said that all family members and pets were accounted for.

This is the second breakfast fundraiser in two months at the Westmere firehouse. On Feb. 21 the firehouse raised $3,702.56 with a breakfast to benefit the five members of the Morrissey-Sawyer family, whose Ayre Drive home was destroyed in a Jan. 24 early-morning fire.

With this fundraiser for the Veeder Road fire, said Barry Nelson, president of the Westmere Fire Department, they hope to raise even more. The Westmere Fire Department publicized the earlier fundraiser by themselves, whereas this time the Guilderland Police and Albany County Sheriff’s Office are both publicizing it as well.

The Ayre Drive fire was a lot worse than this one, Nelson said, with family members including children spending time in a specialized burn unit, but this time around, he said, the Westmere Fire Department is expecting a “tremendous response” from police and first responders from throughout the county.

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The fundraiser on April 10 runs from 8 a.m. to noon and features pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pastries, fresh fruit, orange juice, and coffee. Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children under 12. The breakfast is sponsored by the Guilderland Police Benevolent Association, Albany County Sheriff’s Office, and Westmere Fire Department. Donations may also be sent to the Guilderland PBA, Post Office Box 583, Guilderland, NY 12084.